HIS 315K Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Spanish Conquest Of The Aztec Empire, Spanish Empire, Spanish Requirement Of 1513
Document Summary
Columbus de nitely had an agenda when writing so he would exaggerate his claims to prove to the king that the journey was worth his money. He is trying to keep the crew calm. The rst thing they do when they get to the land is stick the ags in the ground to take possession of it. The spanish had been taking possession of land for a while. First they took possession of the land then they felt with the people. Columbus compares this new land to the garden of eden. because of their innocence. The account of the sword was a foreshadowing of the conquest to come. Other translations account for a dry leaf, which was tobacco, among the things traded. Columbus probably elaborated at a later date when he returned to spain/ portugal. This is most likely a primary source but it is tricky because it is a translation of a primary source.
